International Journal of

DISCUSSION

This study sought to: (1) identify the characteristics most commonly attributed and / or associated to the word love by Brazilian subjects of different ages and social conditions and (2) to verify if there are statistically significant differences due to the variables sex, age and degree of instruction. The results / data of this research suggested to the author the analysis and discussion of the aspects presented below.

1. 
   Contributions of the theoretical view to the analysis and discussion of data
   

As previously considered in the initial part of this study, we opted for the theoretical view to analyze the results, as the concept, within the assumptions of this theory, can never be analyzed in isolation, since it is part of a network of relationships with other concepts, from which its meaning derives (Nunes & Lomônaco, 2008). Consequently, the meaning of a concept is derived from the concepts that are related to it.
First, it is important to note that the results of this study confirm many other studies carried out in Brazil and in various parts of the globe (Jankowiak, Shen, Yao, Wang, & Volsche, 2015; Mouton & Montijo, 2016; Munck & Kronenfeld, 2016; Pilishvili, & Koyanongo, 2016; Fehr & Russell, 1991) that indicate that the love phenomenon is a complex, multifaceted and multidimensional concept. However, some studies (such as Fehr & Russell, 1984;
Fehr & Russell, 1991; Fehr, 1993; Fehr, 1994; Fehr, 1999; Regan, Kocan, & Whitlock, 1998) with similar objectives to this study were conducted and analyzed according to the assumptions of the prototypical view, a view that, as we have seen, has been subject to a great number of criticisms due to its limitations, as considered in the theoretical foundation of this work. Despite such an epistemological divergence, it appears that categories very similar to ours were found by these researchers. For example, Fehr and Russell (1991), in their study The concept of love viewed from a prototype perspective, conduct a series of six studies in which twenty manifestations of love from participants, namely: maternal love, paternal love, sibling love between men or women (in the original study: sibling love), friendship, fraternal love (in the original study: fraternal love), romantic love, love between male brothers (in the original study: brotherly love), love between sisters (in the original study: sisterly love), familial love (in the original study: familial love), love of affection (in the original study: affection love), commitment love (in the original study: committed love), love for humanity, spiritual love, passionate love (in the original study: passionate love), self-love, sexual love, patriotic love, love for work, love for animals, blindness / infatuation (in the original study: infatuation).
A crucial aspect to assess the relevance of the theoretical view in the interpretation of the results is to verify whether the phenomenon that Keil (1989) called causal homeostasis and that is fundamental in his theoretical perspective occurs. This term designates a state in which the different concepts associated with a nuclear or central concept converge in the same sense, that is, they do not present divergences or oppositions, but they form a coherent system (sometimes called “theory”). Can this phenomenon be identified in the results of this study?
We think so, because of the first thirteen categories considered (the category “Other Answers” will not be included in this specific analysis), in 12 of them we can observe the phenomenon of causal homeostasis, since all the categories created point in the direction of love as a positive emotion even if directed towards different and varied objects (family, animals, flowers, people, God etc.) and with different weights (as represented by the percentage of responses expressed in Figure 3). This aspect is particularly noted in category 12, which considers love as a source of positive emotions.
In other words, the aspects identified in these first twelve categories seem to remain in balance with each other, without apparent contradictions or oppositions between the associated concepts that constitute the network or system (or “theory”) regarding love. It is these

relationships found between the concepts that make the system cohesive, giving it a character of totality or globality. And, in this cohesive whole, changes in one part, cause changes in the whole. And, since the different attributes of the same concept appear to be highly interrelated, it is impossible to change one attribute without affecting the others that are part of this conceptual network (Lomônaco, Cazeiro & Ferreira, 2006). It follows from this aspect that, as they develop, people modify their concepts according to their love experiences, since the new information interacts with this conceptual network already formed and causes a rupture in the system, leading to its reorganization. In other words, the network of interconnections between the concepts (that is, the “theory”) has undergone changes and is transformed during new learning.
This aspect can be observed in this study when we compare the statements of older people and / or those with a higher level of education, since, probably, these people, having had more experiences, stimuli or even instrumental knowledge throughout their life, emitted a bigger number of associations in this or that sense. For example, as younger people, in this study they issued responses relating love to more romantic aspects; older people and / or education level issued more responses related to love as an aspect related to positive elements, such as those described in category 12. So, it can be inferred that the dynamic phenomenon of causal homeostasis is present in formulation of the concept of love and is altered by factors such as new experiences, diverse learnings of human development and factors such as age.
A different aspect of this analysis is that of category 13, which sees love as a source of negative emotions, attitudes and behaviors and whose percentage frequency was 7%, not very high, but much higher than that of some other categories. How to interpret is apparent dissonance in the results?
Although the explanation for this apparent contradiction is not evident, it is possible to formulate some hypotheses in an attempt to understand it, although it must be clear that they are only speculations based on the historiography of love presented in the first part of this work.
As seen earlier, one of the contributions that may have influenced love as something close to that described in category 13, was the courteous love of the Middle Ages, the 19th century's ultra-romanticism or even the influence of American cinema. Elements such as idealization and suffering for the unattainable being loved and even aspects such as dramas between couples, loving suffering, affective
pessimism, interpersonal negativism and love disillusionment, could be found in the responses issued by the participants. That is, from the possible influence of medieval troubadours on Hollywood, the ideal of what can be considered negative or even undesirable by most people, perhaps it is, but a guide in the affective choices that people adopt when selecting a partner and elaborating their relationship. Perhaps, for such people, “I suffer, therefore I am” is a principle that will govern their affective-sexual relationships and the way of experiencing these experiences concerning the love phenomenon. In other words, either because of their life history or because of the various events that the person may experience during this course, loving and personal dramas can be considered requirements for a fruitful and lasting relationship, as they can be seen as tests that build relationships stronger Thus, if we consider this perspective, it can be considered that, because these love dramas are perceived as inherent in the love phenomenon, they should not be considered as inherently negative.
An illustrative example of what was suggested is the case of jealousy, which was a response evoked by many respondents in this study and which, apparently, could be thought of as a negative aspect. For most people, as the studies by Mullen & Martin (1994) attest, there is a close relationship between romantic love, romantic relationships and jealousy. Even for other theorists such as Ferreira- Santos, 1998; Leonel, 1993; Mathes, 1991; Pittman, 1994; Salazar, Couto, Gonçalves and Pereira, 1996 and White and Mullen, 1989, there is the possibility of some neutral, or even positive aspect of jealousy, in the sense that it brings the couple closer together, as a useful strategy to deal with a threatening situation. As for common sense, and, above all, for Brazilian culture, we perceive the maintenance of an environment favorable to jealous attitudes. That is, the partners see themselves as obliged to show jealousy as proof of love (Ferreira-Santos, 1998). In fact, especially in the Brazilian context, many people who are the target of their partner's jealousy, depending on the degree and according to their life histories, are flattered to get this kind of attention for themselves. That is, in a Brazilian context, attitudes of jealousy are favored by people, they serve as a thermometer of the relationship. Anyway, if the jealous answer can be relativized in this way, perhaps other answers can also, thus reducing the frequency of allocation of some terms that, possibly, are redistributed to category 1 and redistributing them to category 14, eliminating themselves or, at least, greatly reducing the percentage of responses attributed to category 13.